On 2011-05-30 16:51 , Brian Walters wrote:
Do you point your conversion software at a folder of RAW images and let
it get on with the job while you watch the latest episode (or two) of
Mythbusters?
sort of -- i point Aperture at my mounted SD card, and let it figure out
what's new, then import; there's no conversion to another file format
(except technically Aperture renders a preview); i get multiple things
done as in one batch import:
- create a default rendering from each digital negative
- catalog/track images
- copy image files from SD card to master and backup locations
note that i wrote "digital negative", and this is not just because i use
the DNG format -- RAW/DNG is like a negative because you have options
how to process it when rendering an image, and because you can
repeatedly try different processing approaches without harming the original
and no, import is not very slow; i just imported 71 images from an SD
card in 3 minutes on my low-end 2-year old MacBook Pro; this included
making backups copies over the network to my server; plus i can still
use my computer during the import (i can even work on images as they
come in)
If so, isn't this just handing over the image processing
function to software? Do you go back and 'tweak' the images?
this is a funny question -- perhaps you don't realize that if you shoot
JPEG, you are *absolutely* handing over the image processing function to
software (in the camera) and unlike RAW, you can never go back to the master
but no, i don't choose to do major processing at import time (though it
is possible)
and yes i then go through and individually tweak the rendering on every
image that interests me; it doesn't take long on the first pass -- it's
non-destructive, so i just do rough adjustments to see the image's
potential; i can easily refine it or do multiple versions later
in this first pass i also nix a lot of duds ("9" in Aperture), and do
basic batch and individual tagging and "1" (one star) everything i want
to give a careful look; later i filter to view only images with one star
and above (a virtual method of culling images)
or
Do you look at the JPG previews to decide which images are the 'Hero
Images' (as the late Bruce Fraser called them) and restrict RAW
conversion to those?
i don't do this, but it i do occasionally preview DNG images with
Quicklook (so a JPEG is not necessary); i do this when i need to quickly
extract one or a few images from a batch (usually to send someone or
post to a website)
If you batch convert the lot, do you convert to a lossless format (TIFF
or PSD)? There doesn't seem to be much point in converting to JPG - you
could do that in camera.
i do no conversion per se until i export an image (and i export
relatively few); what format i export depends on the purpose, but it's
usually JPEG, sometimes TIFF or PSD
Do you archive your 'second string' images as RAW, or do you convert to
JPG and ditch the originals?
i automatically archive everything as DNG into both master and backup
locations (space is cheap)
What's the advantages of shooting RAW + JPG?
imo, very few unless you often need rapid access to JPEGs; i shot
RAW+JPEG for a while until i realized i was never using the JPEG and my
imports took longer
In summary - if you shoot RAW exclusively (or mainly), how do you manage
the workflow and still have a life??
it's much easier than you suggest; it does take some up-front decision
making and some practice; it's also worth giving one's workflow a
critical review now and then
using a tool like Aperture or Lightroom makes such a workflow much more
efficient, and offers many other benefits, but it can be done without
aids if you are very disciplined
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